Means for supporting electric lighting fixtures



June 1955 H. 1.. GOEBEL MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Feb. 24, 1953 INVENTOR- a ierman L 0959/ llnited States Fatent G MEANS FOR SUPPQRTWG ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURES Herman L. Goebel, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Mitchell Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application February 24, 1953, Serial No. 338,286

3 Claims. (Cl. 243-343) This invention relates to means for supporting electric lighting fixtures or the like, and more particularly for use with fluorescent lighting fixtures that are suspended from the ceiling by means of hangers, which is known as pendant mounting, and/or those fixtures which are mounted closely adjacent the ceiling and known as surface mounting.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means for supporting a lighting fixture from the ceiling that may be used either for pendant mounting or surface mounting and which permits the lighting fixture to be aligned and adjusted during installation.

Another object of this invention is to provide means whereby the fixtures, particularly of the fluorescent type, may be readily secured, adjusted and aligned in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a plurality of fluorescent fixtures of the pendant type and showing the application of my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a reduced perspective view of the hanger fitting used in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in cross-section taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view taken on lines 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the channel member of this invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the invention for use primarily in surface mounting, and

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 77 of Fig. 6.

The application of the invention with respect to pendant mounted fixtures as embodied in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive,

will be described first.

The fixture 10, of which only the upper portion is shown, may be an electrical fixture of any type but is preferably a fluorescent lighting fixture which is suspended from the ceiling at various points apart along the length of the fixture, as best seen in Fig. 1. The top wall 12 of the fixture is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 14, any one or more of which may be used in connecting the longitudinally extending channel member 16, best shown in perspective in Fig. 5. The channel member 16 is provided with a top horizontal wall 18 and two depending vertical side walls 20. The top wall of the channel is provided with 4 openings 22, one adjacent each of the ends of the channel and two approximately adjacent the center of the channel. Secured in each of said openings 22 is a spacer 26. The spacer has a head 27 which rests on the top of the horizontal wall 18 and is securely locked in said opening by forming a bead 28 on the stem of the spacer with a suitable tool after the spacer is in the opening 22. The bead 28 engages the underside of the wall 18. The spacer is interall ice

nally threaded as at 3% and extends below the bottom of the depending vertical walls 20. A threaded bolt 32 having a head 33 which engages the fixture passes from the inside of the fixture 1i) and is secured in the threaded opening 349 of the spacer. It will be seen that sufiicient space is provided between the bottom of the vertical walls 24 and the top of the fixture to slideably accommodate the lips of the hanger fitting presently to be described. The channel lid is also provided with a plurality of seamed openings 21 for passage of the conducting wire to the fixture.

An inverted U shaped hanger fitting generally indicated at 34 is secured to said channel member 16. The hanger fitting has a top horizontal wall 35 and two opposed side :alls 36, with the lower edges of said walls turned inwardly and upwardly at an angle, to form engaging lips which engage the underside of the lower edges of the channel member 16 and are positioned between said lower edges and the top of the fixture 1%. A set screw 40 is secured in one of the side walls 36 of the hanger fitting to engage the side wall of the channel. The hanger fitting 34 may be secured on the channel 16 prior to connecting the channel to the fixture or if same is already connected to the fixture then the hanger fitting may be inserted from either end of the channel. The channel member 16 and the fixture 14) as a unit are slideable with respect to the hanger fitting 34, or the hanger fitting is longitudinally slideable with respect to the channel and fixture, thus permitting adjustment and alignment of same. After the channel member and fixture have been adjusted and aligned the set screw 40 is tightened which then locks the hanger fitting 34 with respect to the channel and fixture. The top of the hanger fitting is provided with a threaded extruded opening 44- to which is secured the usual suspension tube 46 or rod 47 which in turn is secured at the top thereof to the ceiling, as is well understood in the art. A reducer member not shown is used in connecting the suspension rod 47 to the opening 44. The usual electrical wiring may pass through the suspension tube 46 and into the hanger fitting and through any of the openings 21 for connection to the fixture. The hanger fittings are each approximately about six inches in length and they may be suitably spaced along the length of one or more fixtures depending upon where the sus pension tube 46 and rods 47 are positioned. The channel members 16 may be substantially of the length of the fixtures, but if shorter, then several shorter lengths may be secured to an individual fixture or a series of fixtures may be joined end to end. With a number of fixtures joined end to end, the hanger fitting 16 may be positioned to bridge the ends of two adjoining fixtures and or channel members.

With the hanger fitting secured to the pendants, the fixture and the channel member as a unit may be slid endwise in either direction with respect to said hanger fitting and adjusted, positioned and aligned before the set screw 42 is tightened for permanent securement. If the hanger fittings are first secured to the channel member then secured to the pendants, it will be seen that the hanger fittings may be slid longitudinally on said channel member.

The hanger fitting 34 while described primarily for use in pendant mounting, may also be used for surface mounting, and is provided with two protuberances 45 which serve to space the hanger fitting 34 from the ceiling when thus mounting. In such mounting a suitable toggle bolt extends through the extruded opening 44 to secure the hanger fitting 34 to the ceiling.

The hanger fitting for use primarily in surface mount ing which is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 will now be described. The fixture 1i) and the channel member 16 are as shown in the previous figures and are secured by means of spacers 26 as previously described. However,

the hanger fitting is of a slightly difierent. construction and is indicated generally at 56 and comprises a top wall 52 with two downwardly converging and angularly inclined side walls 54 which terminate in upwardly extending lips or flanges 56 which are adapted to engage the underside of the channel 16, as best shown in Fig. 6.

he hanger fitting thus shown has front and rear walls 58 and 63, with both of said walls having cutouts or re cesses 62 complementary to the transverse shape of the channel member 16. Extending forwardly of the front wall 58 is an extension or lip 64 which receives a set screw 66. The side walls 54 of said hanger fitting are provided with rectangular shaped openings 68 which are closed by detachable cover plates 7% secured by suitable bolts 72. The top wall of the hanger fitting is provided with a plurality of spaced bayonet slots 74 and a central opening 76. A standard outlet box 78 of substantially square shape in transverse cross-section is secured to the ceiling and said outlet box has a pair of opposed inwardly extending extensions 8i which receive threaded bolts 82 having heads 84. The heads of the said bolts pass through the enlarged openin s of the bayonet slots 74, after which the hanger fitting is rotated so that the shanks of the bolt are positioned in the reduced slotted portions of said bayonet slots and said bolts are then tightened to position said hanger fitting in secured and locked position to said outlet box.

It will likewise be seen that with this construction the lighting fixture 1t) and channel member 16 thereon may be slid endwise with respect to said hanger fitting and after being properly adjusted, positioned and aligned may be locked to said hanger fitting by tightening the set screw 66.

The electrical wiring from the outlet box passes through the central opening 76 into said hanger fitting and is connected to the fixture as is understood in the art, or the central opening 76 may be secured to the usual hickey in the outlet box. The removable sideplates 70 on the sides of the hanger fitting permit the electrical wiring passing through the top of the hanger fitting to be connected and also to be subsequently inspected.

If desired the hanger fitting 50 may likewise be used for pendant mounting merely by connecting the pendant stem 46 or rod 47 to the central opening 76.

Also the hanger fitting 34 and the hanger fitting 50 may both be used in surface mounting a series of joined fixtures end to end, in which the hanger fitting 50 is secured to the outlet box 78 as described and the hanger fitting 34 is secured to the'ceiling. For such purposes the protuberances 45 serve to space-the hanger fitting 34 from the ceiling so that it is on the same horizontal plane as' the hanger fitting 50.

With the simple construction shown in this application,

I have provided a mounting whereby fixtures,particularly Also by virtue of the sliding adjustment between the fixture and .themounting, the fixture may besecured at any point regardless of ceiling obstructions or interferences, such as sprinklers, structural beams or the like, likewise the outlet box mounting may be secured at any point of the fixture body.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A support for an electric lighting fixture comprising a channel member having a plurality of spaced openings, an internally threaded spacer member secured in one or more of said openings, a threaded bolt connected to said spacer and securing said channel to said fixture to provide a pair of longitudinal spaces therebetween, a hanger fitting having a pair of lip members being positioned anywhere in said spaces between the top or" said fixture and the bottom of said channel member, and means on said hanger fitting for locking same to said channel member.

2. A support for an electric lighting fixture, comprising a channel member having a plurality of spaced openings along the length thereof, a spacer in one or more of said openings and adapted to secure said channel to said fixture and providing a longitudinal space therebetween, a hanger fitting having a top wall and two side walls with the lower end of said side walls upturned to form lips which are positioned and secured in said longitudinal space between the bottom of said channel and the top of said fixture, means on said hanger fitting for locking same to said channel, said hanger fitting having a plurality of spaced bayonet slots for engagement with an outlet-box supported on the ceiling.

3. A support for an electric lighting fixture or the like, said support comprising an elongated channel member having a top and a pair of depending legs, said channel member having a plurality of openings therein, securing means extending through certain of said openings for securing said channel in spaced relation to a lighting fixture so that a longitudinal space is provided between the bottom of each of the legs of said channel member and the top of the fixture, a hanger fitting having a top wall and two side walls with the lower end of said side walls turned inwardly to form lips with said lips being positloned anywhere in said longitudinal spaces to engage the legs of said channel member and so constructed and arranged that said channel member and fixture is slideable longitudinally with respect to said hanger fitting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 979,544 Murray Dec. 27, 1910 2,297,869 Biller Oct. 6,1942 2,347,113 King Apr. 18,1944 2,459,034 Kruger Jan. 11, 1949 2,562,406- Barker July 31, 1951 2,569,859 Locke Oct. 2, 1951 2,602,623 Sperry July 8, 1952 

